The archives of the articles, reviews, interviews and other ramblings written by Sarah E. Jahier (aka Fatally Yours).

Monday, December 21, 2009

Top 5 Unusual and Underrated Christmas Horror Movies

It’s that time of year again when all the horror sites out there make
their top whatever lists of holiday horror films to watch…and all the
lists are pretty much the same. Aren’t you sick of being recommended for
the umpteenth time to watch Silent Night, Deadly Night, Christmas Evil and Black Christmas? Are you looking for some new holiday horrors to spook your holiday spirit?

Well, look no further because I have compiled a very unique top 5 list of lesser-known and lesser-recognized
holiday-themed horror movies that are sure to knock
your stockings off!

5.) Wind Chill

It’s a snowy Christmas Eve and a college student who is trying to get
home for Christmas is ride-sharing with a stranger. They are in an
accident that leaves them stranded and then freaky stuff starts to
occur. This is a more psychological horror film than anything else,
though the strange stuff that happens to the stranded girl and guy is
definitely eerie. Just don’t watch it before you have to travel for the
holidays!

Part of the DVD set “6 Films to Keep You Awake” from Spain, A
Christmas Tale is about a group of childhood chums that stumble upon a
thief dressed as Santa who has fallen into a hole in the forest. After
learning she is a criminal who has recently stolen a bunch of money, the
kids sadistically torture her with hopes they can get their money on
the cash. Eventually, they think they’ve killed her, but the woman
manages to escape and starts viciously hunting down the children to get
her revenge. This is an extremely well-done and tense film, but also
throws in some laughs with the Goonie-like group of kids and many ‘80s
pop culture references.

It’s Christmas Eve, and pregnant Sarah is due the next day. She is
tragically all alone after losing her husband in a car accident, but
that’s about to change as she hears a knock at the door. A mysterious
woman appears who eventually tries to break into Sarah’s house to kill
her and her baby. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past couple
years, you’ve definitely heard about this ultra-violent and uber-gory
French import. Not only is the gore fantastic, but I also love the
performances by the two actors and the eerie isolation of Sarah’s home.

A lot of people maligned this movie when it came out, but I actually
enjoyed it. A woman fights for her life in her building’s parking garage
when a lonely security guard who is obsessed with her decides that
she’ll be spending Christmas with him this year. I was surprised how
enjoyable this flick was, from the festive holiday dinner scene to how
hard the main character actually fought back, and while it does have its
flaws (the whole water in the elevator scene is a wee bit laughable)
overall it was an entertaining holiday flick!

Beware the dangers of Christmas Eve! A group of twentysomethings meet
a seemingly sweet and innocent woman at a club on Christmas Eve, who
invites them back to her family’s run-down farmhouse in the French
countryside. Once they arrive, the kids realize that the “family” is
slightly off…Sheitan another uncomfortable French film and is probably
the must disturbing and strange movies of the bunch. Not only does the
film make you feel uncomfortable, but there is plenty of nasty violence,
incest, sex and devil worship to shock and satiate even the most jaded
of viewers.